January 13, 2013

Hari Ragat: More Secrets

Happy New Year! Am now back in Davao after spending the holidays with the family in Manila, and settling back into the writing rhythm after getting all our stuff unpacked and stowed. Hari Ragat is now well underway with both the Vivid and FATE versions being worked on, Vivid version is now about 80% complete. Here’s a preview of some new martial arts Secrets I added:

Secret of the Living HandThis Secret is usable with any kind of sword, so long as the off-hand is free. You gain Advantage whenever you try to punch your opponent, or parry his attacks, or seize his weapon from him with your free hand, so long as your opponent doesn’t have a shield.

Secret of the Cloaked BladeThis Secret may be used with kris or barong, and requires a shield. By hiding most of the weapon behind the shield, you render your opponent unable to tell where the next deadly thrust will come from. You may claim Advantage when using this technique in melee combat.

Secret of the Fighting ScabbardThis Secret teaches the use of a reinforced sword scabbard as a parrying weapon, substituting it for a shield. The scabbard acts as a 3-point shield vs. melee attacks (but not ranged attacks), and negates the disadvantage of fighting shieldless vs. shielded opponents.

This is useful as an emergency fighting technique, for occasions when caught by surprise or when a fight breaks out during social occasions. It works with any kind of sword, so long as the scabbard has been reinforced for this purpose. If you roll all 1’s, however, the scabbard is broken and rendered useless for parrying.

Secret of the Horned ShieldThis Secret, used with the pronged type of kalasag tall shield, teaches the aggressive use of the shield’s ‘horns’ to trap the opponent’s arm or weapons. You may claim Advantage when using this technique in melee combat, but on a Flubbed roll your shield is torn from your grip and cannot be used to soak damage.